John Drury has been parking two vehicles in front of the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center he owns on West Broadway in Jim Thorpe for 33 years.

That all changed recently, he said, when police ticketed the vehicles, belonging to his employees, for blocking the sidewalk.

“We’ve never had any issues before,” Drury said. “I’m asking council to establish two spots in front of the museum for loading, unloading and employee parking. We’re even prepared to take down a tree to accommodate people walking through there.”

Council tabled Drury’s request Thursday night, saying it wants to kick the matter back to its police committee and get further clarification from the police department on the situation.

Greg Strubinger, council president, said it’s not the first time such an issue has hit the governing body’s table.

“It has always been council’s position that we can’t give anyone permission to park on a sidewalk,” Strubinger said.

Police Chief Joe Schatz, at an Aug. 4 workshop meeting, said he spoke to Drury, who said his concern was that the next building up has parking in front of the building.

“I told him that was beyond my time and he’d have to go to zoning or speak to someone about that,” Schatz said. “We issued tickets on the vehicles parked there because there were complaints on it and you couldn’t properly walk on the sidewalk there. It’s part of the code in Pennsylvania and we have to enforce it.”

As far as the parking tickets, Jim Thorpe solicitor Jim Nanovic said it’s up to the individuals if they want to challenge the matter in front of a local magistrate.

A bigger question, Drury said, is where he can tell his employees to park. A permit parking ordinance wiped out spots behind the museum on High Street unless you’re a resident of Broadway, West Broadway, High Street, Race Street, Hill Road or Quarry Street.

“The thing is, the residents don’t need those spots,” Drury said. “They always sit empty. It’s really unfair and I think council has to look at exceptions when it comes to the permit parking.”

Councilman Michael Rivkin said Drury isn’t the only person to mention empty parking spots on High Street and suggested council look at that if they take up any major amendments to the permit parking ordinance. That is something it pledged multiple times this year not to do until the ordinance, which started in January, had been in place for a year.

Residents came down on both sides of the issue, with West Broadway’s Jim Gilmore telling council it has given out 286 parking permits, but there are only 148 available spaces.

“Many times I have to park on High Street if I come home late because West Broadway is full,” Gilmore said.

On the other hand, Jim Thorpe businessman and resident Andrew Roberts favored taking up any exceptions to the ordinance on a case-by-case basis.

“I’m hoping Mr. Drury gets an exception for his business,” Jim Thorpe resident and businessman Roberts said. “Let the employees park in two spaces behind the building on High Street. He’s done a lot for that building and the town. You’re not opening a floodgate, you’re just taking one exception at a time.”